CHAPTER IX.

EXPEDITION OF GEN. HARMER AND HIS DEFEAT BY THE INDIANS.

ALTHOUGH a peace was at length happily effected between the two contending parties, Creat Britain and America, in 1785. yet the savages who had been persuaded to take a part with the former, were unwilling to bury the bloody hatchet. They had not suficiently bathed that destructive weapon in the blood of Americans. Without any pretext whatever, they continued to exercise toward them the most wanton acts of barbarity. It appeared from respectable evidence, that from the year 1783, until the month of October 1790, the time the United States commenced offensive operations against the said Indians, that on the Ohio, and the frontiers on the south side thereof, they killed, wounded and took prisoners 1500 men, women and children, besides carrying off upwards of 2000 horses, and other property to the amount of $50,000.

The particulars of many of the instances of barbarity exercised upon the prisoners, of different ages and sexes, although supported by indisputable evidence, are of too shocking a nature to be presented to the public. It is sufficient here to observe that the scalping knife and tomahawk were the mildest instruments of death. That in some cases torture by fire, and other oxecrable means were used.

But the outrages which were committed upon the frontier inhabitauts were not the only injuries that were sustained. Repeated attacks upon detachments of the troops of the United States were at different times made. The following from its peculiar enormity deserves recital. In April, 1790, Major Doughty, in service of the United States, was ordered to the friendly Chicasaws on public busines. He perform

ed his duty in a boat, having with him a party of fifteen men. While ascending the Tennessee river he was met by a party of Indians, in four canoes, consisting principally of Shawnese and out-cast Cherokees. They approached under a white flag, the well known emblem of peace. They came on board the Major's boat, received his presents, continued with him nearly an hour, and then departed in the most friendly manner. But they had scarcely cleared his oars, before they poured in a fire upon his crew, which was returned as soon as circumstances would permit, and a most unequal combat was sustained for several hours, when they abandoned their design, but not until they had killed and wounded eleven out of fifteen of the boat's crew.

All overtures of peace failing and the depredations still continuing, an attempt at coercion become indispensable. Accordingly, on the 30th September, 1790 the President, by and with the consent and advice of the Congress of the United States, despatched Gen. Harmer, with 320 federal troops and 1133 militia under his command, to attack and destroy their principal villages.

The troops, after seventeen days march from Miami reached the great Miami village, without any other molestation than that of having a number of their pack-horses stolen. On their arrival they found the village deserted, and all the valuable buildings in flames, set on fire by the Indians. After a short tarry they proceeded to the neighbouring villages, without molestation, and destroyed five of them and a a large quantity of corn which they found buried in diffent places; and very large quantities of vegetables of every kind.

The first opposition that was met with, a party of about 150 Kentucky militia, and 80 regular troops, all under the command of Col. Harding, of Kentucky were detached from the main body lying in the great Miami village, to pursue the trail of a party of Indians which had the day before been discovered. After a

pursuit of about six miles they came up with, and were attacked on surprise by a body of Indians who were concealed in the thickets on every side of a large plain; and on the first onset the militia without exceanging a single shot, made a most precipitate retreat and left the regular troops to stand the whole charge of the Indians. The conflict was short and bloody. The troops were soon,overpowered by numbers, and all fell except two or three officers, and two or three privates, after defending themselves at their bayonet points with the greatest possible obstinacy. Ensign Hartshorn was one of the officers who providentially escaped, and his escape appeared to depend more on a lucky circumstance of faultering over a log in his retreat, and by that means screening himself from the eye of his pursuers, than from any other circumstance. Capt. Armstrong, wno commanded the party, likewise made his escape, by plunging himself into a pond or swamp up to his neck within 200 yards of the field of action, where he remained the whole night a spectaior to the horrid scene of the war dance, performed over the dead and wounded bodies of the poor soldiers that had fallen the preceeding day; where their shrieks, mixed with the horrid yells of the savages, rendered his situation shocking.

After this some few skirmishes succeed, but nothing material, until the second capital action,which happened two days after the army left the Miami village. At ten miles distance from the town, the general ordered a halt, and detached from four to five hundred militia, and about sixty regular soldiers, under the command of Major Wileys and Col. Harding, who were ordered to March back to the town. On their first entrance there appeared a small body of Indians, who immediately fled at the first onset, and by that means docoyed the whole body of the militia by making their flight in different directions, and encouraging the militia to pursue. By this stratagem the few regular troops were left alone, and the In

dians had effected their design, for the moment they found the small handful of regular troops detached from the main body of the militia, they commenced the attack with their whole force, executing the flying parties that had divided the militia; and although they soon found some part of the militia returning on their backs, pursued the their object of routing and destoying the troops, as the only sure plan of success; which, efter a most bloody conflict on each side they effected.

Nothing could exceed the intrepidity of the savages on this occasion. The militia they appeared to despise, and with all the undauntedness conceivable threw down their guns and rushed upon the bayonets of the regular soldiers. A number of them fell, but being so far superior in numbers, the regulars were soon overpowered, for while the poor soldier had his bayonet in one Indian, two more would sink their tomahawks in his head. The defeat of the troops was complete. The dead and wounded were left on the field of action in possession of the savages.

The following is a copy of the official return of the killed and wounded in the expedition:

Killed of the federal troops, 1 Major, 1 Lieutenant 73 rank and file; total, 75. Wounded, 3 rank and file.

Killed of the militia, 1 Major, 3 Captains, 2 Lieutenants, 4 Ensigns, 93 rank and file; total, 108. Wounded, 2 Lieutenants, 1 Ensign, 22 rank and file; total, 28.

The regular troops all to nine, including two commissioed officers, were killed. Among the slain was Mojor Wyleys, and a number of brave and valuable soldiers. The Indians, it appeared, from some cause did not think it prudent to pursue their successes from the field of action, as most of the troops that were not killed or badly wounded made their escape, which they could not have effected had the enemy pursued with their usual fury.

CHAP. X

DEFEAT OF GEN. ST CLAIR BY THE INDIANS.

GEN. ST. CLAIR TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR.

"Sir,

Fort Washington, Nov. 9, 1791.

"Yesterday afternoon the remains of the army under my command got back to this place, and I have now the painful task to give an account of a warm, and asunfortunate an action as almost any that has been fought, in which every corps was engaged and worsted, except the first regiment, that had been detached upon a service that I had the honour to inform in my last despatch, and had not joined me.

you of

"On the 3d inst. the army had reached a creek about twelve yards wide running to the southward of west, which I believe to have been the river St. Mary that empties into the Miami of the lake, arrived at the village about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. having marched near nine miles, and were immediately encamped upon a very commanding piece of ground in two lines, having the above menrioned croek in fsont. The right wing composed of Butler, Clark and Paterson's battalions, commanded by Major General Butler, formed the first line; and the left wing, consisting of Bedinger and Gaither's battalions, and tho second regiment commanded by Col. Drake, formed the second line, with an interval between them of about seventy yards; which was all the ground would allow.